It was a treat to be back at, The Highlands at Dove Mountain, serving as Austin and Alex’s wedding photographer, this past summer. Located in the Tortolita Mountains, just off Dove Mountain Boulevard in Marana, the Highlands boast magnificent panoramic views in every direction. By nightfall, Tucson’s city lights appear in prominent display in the southern horizon.
Even more wonderful than the views, from The Highlands at Dove Mountain, is the fact that my home-office is only a few short miles away. I am always grateful whenever I am commissioned to photograph a wedding. When they happen to take place so close to where I am based, well…it makes it even sweeter.
As Alex and the girls were getting ready in the brides dressing room, a few of Austin’s band of brother’s found time to shoot a little pool, before photos. The billiards room and adjacent facilities are designated for the groom’s side of the equation.
It seldom happens that a group of people are naturally positioned perfectly for a photo. That is exactly what occurred with the “Sitting Groomsmen” above, as they waited for their turn to be included in photos.
From my experience, you have to capture the moment when it presents itself, especially when you are talking about very young people with extra short attention spans. In the photo above, if I had stopped the action to ask the junior bridesmaid to the right to take a step to her left, to show the rest of her profile, the naturalness of the moment, the facial expressions, would likely have been lost.
On a typical wedding day, I like to average about ten to fifteen varied poses of both the bride and groom. Without any distractions, I can usually whip through them in about ten minutes, although I am often given less time to work with than that.
This is probably one of my more unique shots of the day. I like to mix conventional photos with a few that appear a bit out of the box, like this one. In this wedding photo, all the elements worked, because the primary focus remains on the couple. If the isle had already been occupied with guests, or if the Pasteur’s attention had been diverted away from the wedding couple, this image probably would have lost some its’ impact.
During summer weddings in Tucson, monsoon clouds can appear unexpectedly, at any time. When they happen to role in late in the day, it further cuts short the amount of natural light that remains for wedding photography. With the start of Austin and Alex’s wedding ceremony a bit tardy as it was, we were left with about twenty-five minutes of daylight to do formal group photos. Thankfully, the good folks at Highlands allowed us to use their golf carts, to quickly maneuver around to different sections of their grounds for photographs.
On our way back to the reception hall, we noticed the dark gray clouds, which draped over us for most of the day, changing color, as the glow of setting sun broke through. Already behind schedule, we quickly stopped for a few snapshots. What is two more minutes to anyone, anyway!
I would like to wish Austin and Alex all the best that life and love have to offer. May the good Lord be with you always, through the Highlands and the lowlands.
Check out Paul Van Helden Photography on You Tube video, below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a95e2UX9TOk